Method of printing numbers



M. L. PARSONS METHDD 0F PRINTING NUMBERS Filed June 30. 1926 glwuentoz;

Patented ot. 22, 1927.

Fries.

rs r MARION L. PERSONS, 01E PORTLAND, OREGON.

METHOD OF PRINTING NUMBERS.

Application filed June 30,

The invention consists in the provision of g a novel method of printingsheets having numerical designation in regular orderrunning to largenumbers, wherein the number of steps or operations required arematerially reduced and simplified so' that sheets or plates havingordinal designation may be produced in an economical manner.

A furtherobject of the invention consists in the provision of a method,ofprinting-ordinal numbers on printing presses and with types ofordinary use, thus avoiding the relatively large expense incident tospecial numbering apparatus.

. Other objects and advantages of myinvention will be. readily apparentin the course of the detailed description to follow."

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatical view in side elevation of aplurality of piles and stacks of printed matterillustrating the earlystages of my improved method.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the later stages of my method.wherein the printed matter is shown in bundles.

In the usual course of printing automobile license plates and in variousother applications where numbering. machines are not suitable oravailable, it is customary to print numbers thereon in order by changingthe type at each impression. With my invention I propose to reduce thenumber of type changes to a relatively small number and thereby increasethe eficiency and economy of such operations.

Assuming for the purposes of description that the number of sheets to beprinted with ordinal numbers is 10,000, it take 100 sheets and printthem with the numerals 00 and, when printed, distribute said sheets asthe initial sheets of 100 piles. 100 sheets are then printed with thenumerals 01 and d stributed as the second sheet on each of said 100piles. This operation is repeated 100 times with the numerals runningfrom 00 in regular order with the last set of sheets numbered 99.

After distribution I have accumulated 100 piles of sheets indicated bythe reference chara ter P in Fig. 1, each of which contains 100 s eetsrinted in numerical order from 00 to 99. hie of said piles P is thenlaid aside as complete, excepting for the first 1926. Serial No.119,744.

sheet printed with the figures 00, which is also laid aside for purposesto be hereinafter explained. Nine of said piles are then superimposed ina stack S, and nine additional stacks indlcated respectively'bycharacters S S, S, S, S, S, S, S, S are formed in the same manner,containing ten piles each. The first stack S containing nine pilesis-then run through a printing press, printing the figure 0. as thethird or hundreds figure of the several members. The second stack Scontaining ten piles of 100 sheetsis then run through the press,printing thenumeral 1 as the third or hundreds figure of the sevoralnumbers, and 100 sheetsthereof are set aside in consecutive order ascompleted,'run- 'ning from 100 to 199 and, indicated by P inFig. 1. Thethird stack S? containing ten piles of 100 sheets is then run'throughthe press, printing the numeral 2 138 the third or'hundreds figure ofthe several numbers,

and 100 sheets thereof are set asidein consecutive order as completed,running from 200 to 299 as at P. l The remaining seven stacks areprinted in similar fashion with the numerals 3 to 9.

respectively, in the hundreds column, setting aside 100 sheets from eachstack indicated respectively as P P, P, P7, P, P". and P.

There are now 999 sheets complete, running in serial order from 01 to999 in the piles P to P inclusive. There are also ten stacks of sheets.each stack containing nine piles, all nine of the piles in eachstackbeing exactly the same. In other words. the first stack S contains ninepiles, each pile having 100 sheets running from 000 to 099. The secondstack S contains nine-piles, each pile having 100 sheets runnning from100 to 199. The piles in the third stack S run-from 200 to 299, and soon till the tenth stack S whose piles run from 900 to 999.

I then redistribute the iles of the respective stacks into nine bun lesof sheets indicated by B, B B. B, B, B, B", B, and B, respectively, bytaking the first pile of the first'stack, the first pile of the secondstack, and so on through to the first pile of the tenth stack, thusgiving me a bundle B containing ten piles, the sheets in this bundlerunning in regular order from 000 to 99.9. A second bundle B is thenformed by taking the second pile from each ofthe ten stacks,

e sheets in this bundle running exactly as do the sheets in the firstbundle. from 000 to 999. There having been nine pilesin each stack,there will be nine bundles all exactly the same, running from 000 to999.

The first bundle B,- with sheets running in regular order from 000 to999, is then printed with the figure 1 in the fourth or thousandscolumn, giving me complete the numerals from 1000 to 1999. The secondbundle B is then printed with the figure 2 in the fourth or thousandscolumn, giving complete the numerals from 2000 to 2999; and so on,printing each bundle with a digit figure in the thousands column from 1to 9, respectively. The ninth bundle B", which is printed with thenumeral 9 in the fourth or thousands column, gives complete the numeralsfrom 9000 to 9999.

All the sheets are now printed in serial order from 01 to 9999. Thesheet first laid aside, rinted with the figures 00, is then printed withthe figures 100, giving me my last sheet, 10000.

In the event that a larger number of sheets is required than 10,000,which is the number assumed in the foregoing example, the total numberof sheets required are printed in the first instance with the first twofigures of the number running from 00 to 99, and they are distributed inpiles of as described and in the foregoing manner in lots of 10,000. Thefirst of such lots will be complete as just described, whereas each'succeed- -1nghlot may be rinted in-similar fashion at eac change oft epress. Thus, each lot containing 10,000 sheets may then be .printed'with appropriate figures in the ten thousands .columnin a manneranalogous to that for merly explained.

Thus, it will be seen that sheets running in regular order into anydesired amount may be printed with a relatively small number of presschanges, which will be approximately press changes in printing 10.000numbers, changes for printing 100.000 numbers, and changes for printingup to a million numbers.

It will be understood that where sheets are to be printed with duplicatenumbers. as in automobile plates, in the original printing 200 sheetswill be printed of each'number running from 00 to 99, and that indistribution two sheets of identical numbers will be distributed in eachof the 100 piles and thereafter will be considered as a single sheet.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

The process of printing ordinal numbers consisting in printing thesheets with numbers from 00 to 99 in as many hundreds of sheets each asrequired, forming piles of such sheets, each pile containing one hundredconsecutive -nu1nbers, forming stacks of ninety-nine of said pilescontaining ten piles each, save one, printing each of said stacks withdigit figures from 0 to 9, respectively, as the third or hundredsfigure, setting aside one pile from each said stack of ten piles,redistributing the sheets into nine bundles containing ten piles eachwith figures in the hundreds column running from 0 to 9, and printingeach said bundle with digit figures from 1 to 9, respectively, as fourthor thousands figure.

MARION L. PARSONS.

